Marc Emery US Prison Blog #11: Letter to Jodie

Poster available for download at www.FreeMarc.caDearest Jodie: It was a tremendous visit with you on Sunday morning. I am so proud of you for doing such a great job speaking at Hempfest. I know Jeremiah is uploading the videos of your speeches to Youtube (found here), then shared on the Cannabisculture.com and FREEMARC.ca websites. I can’t wait to hear the feedback!

I had a challenging week as you know. The no-flesh diet they give me is so terribly poor, of the 14 meals I get here weekly, 5 of them substitute the meat of the others with a packet of peabnut butter, that’s it. And as you know, I don’t eat peanut butter. So I go hungry 5 meals out of 14. Then on two of the other remaining nine meals, they give me a 5-spoonful carton of cottage cheese. The other seven have soy or cheese substitutes, almost always very poorly prepared and simply reheated. It’s so discouraging. I eat all the apples, oranges, bananas I can get, sometimes the other inmates give me theirs but I have to eat them right away because we are not allowed to have food from the “kitchen” in our rooms, which causes a massive amount of waste as so much fruit & food is just thrown out because if you don’t eat it in 15 minutes at sit-down, into the garbage it has to go. The rules are absurd and cause so much waste and, in my case, hunger and malnutrition.

This past week we were locked down for 36 hours because one of the inmates’ stash of alcohol hooch was discovered. I’ve been breathalyzed four times since I’ve been here; the first time in my life I’ve had a breathalyzer test of any kind. That was Wednesday and Thursday morning, so I couldn’t shower, exercise or use email or the phone during the constant lock-down.

On Friday, when I expected you to be here at 2:00 pm for our long-anticipated visit that day, I did not get the call to visitation and as the hours went by I got extremely anxious about you being in an accident, or hurt, or worse, or held-up at the border. All sorts of terrifying things went through my head because you are never late or miss a visit. Yet all day the phones and internet were disabled because inmates were being moved that day and as a security measure (so they say) all phone & emails go down when a bus or planeload of prisoners is on the move; that’s BOP (Bureau of Prisons) policy. So I had no idea what happened to you, or way to contact you. I was so torn up by anxiety that I had to go and throw up and then cry around 5:30 pm, 3.5 hours after you were due here. By 6:00 pm I was pacing the track upstairs looking pale and distraught when the C.O. (Corrections Officer) called me to his office and said he saw you at 2 pm, first in line, at the front entrance when he came to work on his shift. He said that all visitation was canceled, but the inmates weren’t being told! I was the first to know! Then I cried in relief you were alright but stunned they would let me and others here go all afternoon terrified something had happened to our loved ones without informing us visitation was canceled. It seems incredibly heartless and so unnecessary. One fellow inmate had his wife drive three hours from Blaine, but she was turned away and had to drive three hours home. Others came from Portland, 5 hours away, and were rejected. And of course we get no explanation. Finally phones came on at 7 pm and I was able to call you to breasth a sign of relief. Then email came on and got your note about how crushed you were to have our visits canceled without explanation.

Of course, it was probably because the scheduled airlift of a huge number of inmates on Con-Air broke down and the inmates all had be returned for the weekend to Sea-Tac. I have never seen this place as crowded as it was this past weekend, with some serious bruisers and hardened types among the temporary residents. I have never been so anxious here as in those 4 hours when I was wondering what could have happened to you.

As you know, I am looking forward to getting my sentencing out of the way on Friday, September 10th in downtown Seattle at the federal court. If all goes as expected, I will be sentenced to the 5 years I agreed to in my plea deal (I have almost 6 months in already in accumulated time served in Canadian & US jails on the sentence) and that day I hope to submit my Treaty Transfer application to the Canadian government via the Canadian Consulate here in Seattle. Then, following that application, I am hoping my loyal supporters will show up on SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 at hundreds of busy intersections, football or baseball stadiums, or in front of Member of Congress or Member of Parliament local offices, at Canadian and US Embassies and Consulates throughout North America and the world, or just at busy intersections in your town, urging my imminent transfer back to the Canadian correctional system to serve out my sentence.

I am hoping individuals, pairs or groups of four will go to busy places anytime from noon to 5 pm with signs saying “Return Prince of Pot Marc Emery to Canada from US Prison” or “Google Marc Emery – Political Prisoner – Bring Him Home” or “FreeMARC.ca – Return Marc Emery to Canada” or “Vic Toews: Approve Prison Transfer for Marc Emery” and that sort of thing. Big king-size sheets with these messages at bridge overpasses are great too, so traffic on the highway below can see it. Wherever there will be lots of eyeballs to view the signs is a good place. I’d prefer groups of two or four spread out over several busy places, rather than one group of 10 or 20 in one mass. Encourage people to sign up at WhyProhibition.ca and use my Facebook fan page, Facebook.com/PrinceOfPot, to publicize where they will be. Have people take photographs of their action on what I am calling the Marc Emery Support Day Mobilization (though my supporters are calling it the “Free Marc Emery” worldwide rally).

I am keeping busy with letter writing, I have written 25 letters in the most recent 3 days, and am writing my 2010 Canadian Voters’ Guide and great lengths of my autobiography for Dana Larsen, who is putting it together for me. I am very prolific and busy and it’s because of you, my dear wife, and your endless love for me, and the support you generate for me, that inspires me to keep producing under this incredible adversity.

About Author

Marc Emery is a Canadian cannabis activist, entrepreneur, and politician. Known to his fans as the Prince of Pot, Emery has been a notable advocate of international cannabis policy reform for decades. Marc is the founding publisher of Cannabis Culture and Pot TV.

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Comments

19 Comments

Anonymous on
September 2, 2010 6:35 pm

dave you have a big problem with passive aggressive come ons, you want to be Mr Nice but you can’t deal honestly with an adversarial relationship., you might as well just say you don’t agree rather than fudge around and say you don’t understand. Its as wrong and insincere to say you _don’t understand when you do as it is to say you _do understand something when you don’t

Dave grow up or don’t bother the grown ups, stick to the forever juvenile stoners who all share the same standard opinion like song lyrics. You are not brave enough to think your own thoughts.

markprintz on
September 1, 2010 6:03 am

The BOP cares not for the inmate as long as he or she can stand up and be counted at 4pm. That is all they care about. I did what you are doing from 94-98. It sucks big time. Please take comfort in knowing that many many out here support you worldwide. I will write you direct but for now just hang in there my brother.
LOVE PEACE POT & FREEDOM!

Anonymous on
September 1, 2010 12:39 am

you must have something big and rotton to hide if you fear fair comment, maybe you are afraid somebody will comment on what they know about you? The grow movement is full of secrets and skeletons, & time wounds all heels,buit its nothing a few bags of black market dollars can’t fix .But people talk and they say what they know and it will eventually come out.You can’t fix the truth because it ain’t broken

Anonymous on
August 31, 2010 8:25 am

Yeah “the good doctor” is to be believed, especially about his $5000 cutting of elephant bud he mentioned in another posting. “When the strain first came out, I paid $5,000 for a single cutting. In less than a year, I have paid off two cars, a house, a house boat, and bought a piece of Jenz Benz. So cheers, to all the silly folks, who think you can play, and not pay.”

“On a side note, I pulled 11.5 pounds from 4 1000watt digital hps lights. In less than 9 weeks of flowering. So, fucking eh, I think the purple elephant is exactly what they say.”

Yeah this guy isn’t in anyway connected to BC Seeds LOL not trying to promote them at all LOL Not the BC Seeds which is a place known to rip people off for years and now they are selling $500 seeds.

Considering the source I would not believe anything else he has written about hempfest or much else. 3 posts and the promoter disappears. Further Jodie was at the hempfest this year, no booing on the youtube video.

If there was such a serous amount of censorship going on pretty odd they didn’t remove the posting by the “The Good (BCSeeds Promoter) Doctor”

Like it or not this is now for all intensive purposes Jodi’s website. Some of the commentary put on here by the resident trolls, especially the homophobic crap deserves to be deleted. If you don’t like her having editorial control than go get your own website. You may not have a censorship agenda, but you definitely have an agenda, yours is shown here “Jodie Emery got her high fashion ass kicked out” You have issues with Jodi, yet you expect her business(which used to be Marc’s) to pay for the very website you wish to use as your personal pulpit to attack her. Are you that out to lunch?

You can scream about censorship when its a public owned or non-profit owned venue, but on a privately owned website you haven’t a say. Just like if you are to post to any newspapers comment area, they screen the comments first. I seriously doubt you would be allowed to go on those websites and make disparaging commentary on the various newspapers owners or writers without having your comments deleted. Go get your own website, I doubt I will read it because to me your writing just sounds like one of the trolls that frequents this place. You love the anonymous life since you can attack Marc’s character with impunity but if they knew your identity I guess you are worried they could probably dig up just as much or more on yourself.

Anonymous on
August 31, 2010 12:59 am

Nothing like a crybaby troll. You trash the very people that own the website, and then cry about it when they don’t let you play here. Grow up. They let more go by than others would, especially when you trolls post all the homophobic crap you do. You think you have some ordained right to do with their website as you wish? Wake Up They don’t have to provide pulpit for your vitriolic commentary.

Setup your own website and post all you want. If you hadn’t noticed every newspaper on the web I have ever seen has their comments to articles screened before they are posted, and deletes what ever they want to. Some of my comments on newspapers websites never show up, and they didn’t have any naughty words in them, they just didn’t like what I said so deleted them.

What is the reason you just don’t set up your own website? to cheap and would rather have jodi’s business pay for it? Need his web traffic because no one will ever see your website? There are blogging sites you can post your thoughts for free. Also people might take you more seriously if you weren’t MR.Anonymous, or maybe you are afraid if they find out who you are they can then direct comments to demean your character as you do to Marc.

Dave on
August 31, 2010 12:53 am

Well at least we agree that “Marc didn’t do anything for Pot freedom worthy of his rotting in prison”. Like you, we agree, compared to Canada the sentence is draconian!

The rest, I’m not sure what you mean! Are you saying you don’t like Marc or you don’t like the visible-vocal Cannabis Culture he helped persuade out of the closet with his microphone or both?

I’m sure you can make you argument without the put downs. By your words, you seem to take this personal; what are you afraid of?

If you’re against pot then maybe some constructive rather than destructive criticism would help you position!

the Good Doctor's assistant on
August 30, 2010 5:54 pm

Is it true that Jodie Emery got her high fashion ass kicked out at the 2009 Seattle Hempfest?
I read this post ( below ) on the CC forums today and now I know there is a serious censorship agenda going on here at CC.com, This is very sad to discover just days before Marc gets sentenced to many many years in a rotton hellhole of a US prison for drug offenders.Is it true that his reckless activism and criminal activity brought the Drug War to BC and the rest of Canada? That sucks If this following post is as true as it seems we want an explanation from Jodie Emery before we send one more cent or a single postcard to Marc in jail. this is shocking that Jodie presents herself as loved and honored in the Seattle pot community when in fact she was embarrassed that some people know the truth about her saintly husband and ran away from honest inquiry

I found this letter on the CC forums just TODAY Monday August 30m 2010

Registered: 04/18/10
Posts: 3
Wow, that anyone besides Mrs. Marc Emery cares about him at all, is a huge shock to me.

He is litterally a self published NARC. What do call some one who threatens to, and then does hand over personal information of Seed Purchasers in the US, simply to end an arguement.

Bad business, if you do not know of what I speak, simply look it up. In one case, when a gentlemen simply wanted money back for a huge order of useless seeds. Marc threatened to litterally Narc him to the FBI.

He might just be getting what he deserves. You never NARC, or even threaten to in this business, and expect to stay around very long! ! !

I say everyone take a dump, and whipe their collective asses with a picture of Marc Emery, and then forget about him, and let him rot. He is no activist, he is no prince of pot.

He is simply a two timing NARC, if you don’t belive me, look it up. I let MRS. Emery know how I fealt at the 2009 Seattle Hempfest, and I noticed everyone cheered me on, and she left the room! By the way, wasn’t he like 44 and she 15 when they got togehter and strated dating? Married? Yeah, a NARC Pedophile, what a heroe for the pot community!

Anonymous on
August 30, 2010 5:26 pm

What Marc Emery may or may not have spoken up against pending Drug Legislation adds up to nothing, he is just another guy at a street dance with a microphone. The job of questioning pending legislation is the duty of the Opposition in government. They review & criticize the downside, limitations and potential for abuse in any proposed new law. That is not Marc Emery’s job. Sad thing is the Opposition are in total favour of harsh new Crime & Punishment laws aimed at pot growers, and so is the Senate, so are most people in Canada. Most Canadians do not approve of the Drug Sub Culture but favour Medical Marijuana for serious illess, not for a get out of jail card for stoners bummed out by a bad hair day
The only people in Canada who do not want mandatory minimums for pot growing set into law are– the pot growers and their Prince of Pot with a microphone at a street dance.

All Marc Emery did was sell pot seeds for millions of dollars profit, attempt to Overgrow the Government and bring the US Drug War to Canada. Right downtown in every Canadian city and flying overhead at every harvest. Marc was absurd and bold but he didn;t accomplish anything for Pot freedom worthy of his rotting in prison for a half decade

NonAnonymous on
August 30, 2010 7:06 am

It is probably too late to free Marc from his fate in prison, but it is not too later to start saying ” Don’t Forget Marc Emery like every other drug prisoner”

Anonymous on
August 29, 2010 8:11 am

Not only are certain posts censored on CC
but posts _mentioning censorship get censored
now whole recent threads don’t exist anymore
and honest inquiry about missing posts no longer exist

freedom of expression has pretty well been crushed
censorship is not an infrequent occurance’
its a regular occurance of late

a sure sign of an somebody recognising & fearing the truth
and instead of dealing with the truth
they censor it so it doesn’t exist for them
honest people censorship when the Conservatives & fascists do it
censorship is detestable
where ever when ever it is applied arbitrarily
Has the cannabis culture become it’s own worst enemy?
that is certainly a possibility at this point
especially when the straight world is now open
to a honest review of cannabis prohibition.

If pot is legalized like it looks like it will be soon
then all the legalization organizations out there will be finished
maybe that’s why censorship is being applied here with such vigor
because Cannabis Culture type organizations are redundant
and they don’t want to consider that we have no need for them anymore

Posted: Sunday August 29, 2010/ 2 am EST
let’s just see how long it takes for this post to have never existed

Dave on
August 28, 2010 11:51 pm

Not sure on the history but if you check you’ll probably find the DEA was in Vancouver before Marc arrived? Nobody likes change but someone had to speak up. I’m sure Harperstein would have introduced the same draconian bills except there wouldn’t be anyone to challenge him. Pretty sure if people like Marc had not awakened Canadians, Harperstein’s supposed law and order bills would have probably passed on first reading!

It wasn’t Marc that caused Harperstein and Co to be elected; it was Martin, Layton and Zachardelli. And it wasn’t Marc who did away with Chretien’s decrim bill, however flawed; it began with Martin then ended with Harperstein and Co..

I’m old school and I’ve often said, “if they legalize cannabis they’ll take all the fun out of it”! I feel for your position but I don’t think Marc is to blame!

Anonymous But True on
August 28, 2010 11:39 pm

Ooops, left out an important word – meant to say:

For decades protesters have diluted their dissent hoping to not anger the powers-that-be Too much.

Anonymous But True on
August 28, 2010 11:36 pm

Sorry, Jodie, but he is exactly right. America is a land of torture and deliberate misery. It inflicts this on its own citizens, and citizens of other countries. The USA is the world leader in death, military, poison, earth rape and imprisonment.

For decades protesters have diluted their dissent hoping to anger the powers that be Too much. It is finally time to simply speak the unvarnished truth.

America is a country that practices kidnapping, torture, murder, and illegal wars while waging a war on plants. Free Marc Emery and all other non-violent ‘drug criminals’ NOW!

Anonymous on
August 28, 2010 2:05 am

I disagree with Marc Emery being in prison. I disagree with the means seeing to the man being where he is right now. However, if not for Marc Emery and his active supporters, the greatly intensified legal eyes brought to bear upon the BC marijuana business would not be such as it is now.

The man stood up in the face of both the Canadian and US governments and basically told the lot of them to ‘go fuck themselves’. From the average growers point of view, Marc Emery has seriously enlarged the stress levels in the lives of a great number of people.

I fully understand what it is Marc has been campaigning against all these years. And still, no matter the changing rhetoric surrounding prohibition (in the various US states), the US government has thrived on it as an industry employing many thousands of Americans for a great many years now. Of course the American government decided to finally do something about Marc – he was becoming a threat to the business of prohibition. And of course Canada bowed down to the United States Of Terrorism when threatened with a spanking if it did not do as told. I will be very surprised if Marc is allowed to serve out any portion of his sentence in Canada.

Der Führer Harperstein is merely an extension of American interests in prohibition – he sees ‘it’ as being in the interests of Canada’s privileged elite to not only support American prohibition idealism, but to emulate it (bill S-10) under the guise of public safety. Of course it is insane to think bill S-10 will bring about a greater level of public safety – it will only inflame matters.

Of course, it is no surprise to see so many Joe and Jane i-believe-in-government types supporting Harper while waving their individual flags of ignorance and outright stupidity. A truly informed electorate would not grant so much support to CONservatives. Marc did try to enlighten people, yes – but he went about it in such a way as to attract heavy handed government tactics. Legalize pot? Not while prohibition remains an industry unto itself. It is basic economics.

Marc Emery, by way of his soap box tactics, has indeed played a large role in bringing the US war on drugs to Canada.

Anonymous on
August 26, 2010 5:40 pm

Your America-hating comments are exactly the sort of rhetoric Marc Emery has warned against. If you want Americans on the side of prohibition repeal and in support of Marc Emery, you might make a slight adjustment. It this sort of spirit that is driving me away from this Cannabis Culture site and from anything to do with Marc Emery. Bye, Jodie.

Dave on
August 26, 2010 12:37 am

You know if there is one weasel I really dislike it would be Nicholson. But, if he and his family experienced any type of harm, I would set aside my dislike and have genuine compassion for their situation. I would not contact him nor his family expressly to rub salt in their wounds.

Why any civilized person would do this, to anybody, is beyond me. It reminds me of a kicking circle where the sheet-faces thinking they’re anonymous take a few jabs just to quell their festering hate.

On the other hand, we naturally think it’s hate but I’ve been reading up on right wing authoritarians and their followers. According to this expert RWA’s reactions are based in fear. They’ve been taught that there’s a boogie-man around every corner. So what really looks like hate is really fear. They hurt others because they are scared shitless!

If you look between the lines you’ll discover that every hateful comment is really just disguised fear! They just can’t understand why Marc is not fearful; they would have shut the hell up a longtime ago!

Anyway Marc, I hope you come across a reasonable Judge who will sentence you to “TIME SERVED”!

MOTFA on
August 25, 2010 11:16 pm

I thought marc could buy stuff in that store in the prison. Does he not have the money to go there and buy tuna and nuts and whatever else might be there that they wouldn’t normally feed him? I guess maybe it’s just snack food or whatever.

Always appreciate the current reports of what is going on with marc because i find prison life somehow intriguing enough for me to curious about not just marc’s story, but tons of other prisoner stories as well.

Glad you are keeping up the letter writing. I will as well.

Anonymous on
August 25, 2010 5:03 pm

We demand the Federal government brings Marc home to Canada
as soon as he is released from a US prison in 2020

Anonymous on
August 25, 2010 9:45 am

Terrible to hear how inhumane the prison system is. America is a land of torture and deliberate misery. It inflicts this on its own citizens, and citizens of other countries. The USA is a world leader in death, military, poison, earth rape and imprisonment. I pray for Marc.
Please Jodie keep your blogs and Marc’s at the top of the blog list. Other than Rosenthal’s blogs, yours and Marc’s, the other blogs are boring, self-serving or just plain dumb.
We want to be able to read what you and Marc have written, so please keep those on the front page, maybe even in their own separate box.
I wish strength to both of you!